Office of Pastoral Relations

Pastors often feel they are laboring alone. We at Judson want to help by offering different ways to support and encourage them. The Office of Pastoral Relations is a ministry of Judson University to support and encourage pastors with a Judson affiliation - primarily with the churches within the Great Rivers Region along with the surrounding regions of Indiana, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. This ministry will also be for those churches supporting Judson University or who have interest in supporting Judson.

DISCIPLESHIP AND TRAINING

Educational Webinars

A free monthly webinar is offered for pastors and/or their staff, providing information and encouragement. All you will need is a computer with video and/or audio capabilities and a reliable internet connection. These webinars are free, but you still have to register so we can send you the instructions on how to access the webinar at the appropriate time. Check our EventBrite page to register or view a list of upcoming webinars. All webinars will also be recorded and past webinars will be available for any pastor to examine at their own convenience.

Monthly Pastoral Groups via Video Conferencing

Groups or Cohorts will be formed as interest is communicated to our office. If you are interested, please contact us. Maybe you would like to be in an accountability group, a sermon preparation group, or even a book study group. If you have an idea for a group then send in that information as well and we will let others know of the topic and see if there is interest. Each of these groups will be held online though a videoconferencing connection with your computer. You will need a computer with video and audio capability and a reliable high speed Internet connection -- join from the comfort of your office or home.

Preaching Support

Overview

You may not know of Bill Raftery the college basketball analyst; however, he and pastors have some similarities. He spends hours preparing for an upcoming game and over 90 percent of all the information he gathers does not get used. Good pastors do the same. They gather all kinds of information about a passage of Scripture and end up using only about 10 percent of that information for the Sunday sermon. That is just what it takes to make a good sermon or game broadcast

We here at Judson know the importance of sermon preparation. Therefore, we have tried to help you, the pastor. First we have some Sermon Starters for those weeks when the schedule gets over crowded by the emergencies of the week. When that happens feel free to use any of the Sermon Starter outlines for your own purpose.

Another alternative is to invite someone from Judson to fill the pulpit on any given Sunday. Pulpit Supply from Judson can be arranged if given enough time. Being contacted Saturday night will not always find someone available for the next day; but, we will try.

Sermon Starters

Check out our helpful sermon starters which will contain a scripture and a basic outline of three to four points along with illustrations and presentation slides.

Pulpit Supply

If you need to fill the pulpit – morning, evening or through the week - let us know. Pastor on vacation? Give us a call. We will try to find someone from the university to help fill the pulpit on any Sunday, given enough notice. Your contact person is Rev. Dr. Rex Rogers at 779-207-9188.

Other Support

Personal or Group Support

Sometimes a pastor simply needs to talk something through, or a Church Board is having trouble agreeing on an issue. Maybe you need someone to come and give an objective overview of your church. We can help with any or all of these through this office. Feel free to contact us and we can work on an appointment and/or details to be with you personally at your church.

Weekend Retreats and Getaways

The Caregivers Forum is a group of people willing to help pastors and their families. Whether you have an urgent need or simply could use some 'get away' time, the Caregivers Forum list can help. Many of these places have a free or low cost availability for pastors and their spouses/families to get away for a weekend, a week or longer. The places area scattered around the country and are truly people who will give care in the form that is needed. To view these places and ministries please visit: http://www.caregiversforum.org/directory/.

About the Office of Pastoral Relations

Judson's Office of Pastoral Relations is managed by Rev. Dr. Rex Rogers. Rex is a mentor, a coach and an encourager. He has led support groups for pastors, brought life to churches and helped others become ministers throughout his over 30 years of pastoral experience in small and multi-staff churches. Rex received his Masters and Doctorate from Northern Seminary where his emphasis was in pastoral small groups via video conferencing. He is eager to use his Spiritual Gifts to strengthen Pastoral Ministry as an outreach of Judson University.